With less than a month to Nigeria’s general elections, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA Nigeria, Abuja branch has made a call urging Nigerian women to use their numeric strength to vote the right people into office, while asking Nigerians to shun any form of abuse or violence before, during, and after the elections,
FIDA Abuja led by Chairperson Chibuzo M Nwosu made the calls during their advocacy campaign at Piwoyi Community, a suburb of Abuja. The group through the campaign sought to awaken the political consciousness of rural women with a focus on their role in the coming elections.
FIDA Abuja in a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary, Olosen Victoria Ibiezugbe said Ms. Nwosu at the occasion equally educated the women on key provisions of the VAPP Act 2015 particularly on the roles women play in nation-building.
Nwosu according to the statement gave the women pointers on how they could actively participate in the scheme of things which include asking leaders in their community pertinent questions, mobilizing support for female aspirants while urging the women in the community to get their Permanent Voters’ Card and utilize the numeric strength to vote the right people into office.
Using Sections 23, 24 and 26 of the VAPP Act as a point of reference, the Abuja FIDA Chair also iterated the need to frown at any form of abuse or violence before, during and after the elections
Present at the palace was Samuel Bako (Acting Palace Chief), Nuhu Dogo (Waziri of Piwoyi Palace), Abilah Boyedo (Sartin Noma) and Elisha Shekwagu (Secretary to the Palace).
The participants raised questions surrounding the rights of widows over their late husbands’ money; the legality of reporting one’s recalcitrant child’s drug abuse to the authority; the propriety of arresting women for indecent exposure, and the Chairperson took time to answer them.
The FIDA team which had Francisca Akaniro-Opara (Vice Chairperson), Mojirayo Ogunlana-Nkanga (General Secretary), Dooshima Abege (Assistant Publicity Secretary), Lady Ngozi Agubalu and Dr. Anne Mpama in attendance presented copies of the VAPP Act and FIDA flyers to the community.
Here are photos of the event.
